Affinity Photo 2 review: a solid update to a capable app

Serif's powerful editing app gets a serious update.

Affinity Photo 2 screenshot
(Image: © Serif)

Our Verdict

Serif's first version of Affinity Photo was already a strong contender against the likes of Photoshop, and the second version takes things to the next level. The iPad version has been made considerably easier to use, and the Layers palette has had an overhaul, making tasks such as masking and clipping clearer. Overall this is a solid update to Affinity Photo, although the learning curve is still quite steep for new users.

For

  • Capable app made better
  • No subscription

Against

  • Learning curve for newbies
  • No asset management

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Serif’s Affinity suite rivals Adobe in bringing pro-grade image editing without a subscription. The latest releases of the three Affinity apps, released as version 2 rather than a free update, may mean you have to pay once more, but a universal licence – which gets you all apps on all platforms with no extra costs – is about the same as one year of equivalent Adobe apps. There’s a 30-day free trial too.

The iPad version of Affinity Photo 2 ($18.49) is probably the most interesting of the updates, as it has the broadest appeal and is cheaper than the Mac or Windows app (which costs $69.99 / £69.99 if you buy it separately). 

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The Verdict
8

out of 10

Affinity Photo 2

Serif's first version of Affinity Photo was already a strong contender against the likes of Photoshop, and the second version takes things to the next level. The iPad version has been made considerably easier to use, and the Layers palette has had an overhaul, making tasks such as masking and clipping clearer. Overall this is a solid update to Affinity Photo, although the learning curve is still quite steep for new users.

Ian Evenden

Ian Evenden has been a journalist for over 20 years, starting in the days of QuarkXpress 4 and Photoshop 5. He now mainly works in Creative Cloud and Google Docs, but can always find a use for a powerful laptop or two. When not sweating over page layout or photo editing, you can find him peering at the stars or growing vegetables.

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